


The Game Has Changed

by chinahouse



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: Action, Anarchy, Drama, F/F, F/M, M/M, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2014-02-13
Packaged: 2018-01-12 05:40:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1182559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chinahouse/pseuds/chinahouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olympus is going through an anarchic change. Ares' blooming interest in Athena sparks a change in heart, Hades is adamant in causing hell on earth as payback, and Zeus struggles to keep the hierarchy in place. Shifts in morals, motives and relationships major celestial damage control. Can the gods control their primal - and carnal - instincts as their motives alter?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Game Has Changed

THE GAME HAS CHANGED

 CHAPTER I

‘We need to talk, Ares.’

‘It must be serious. You never come to talk to me.’

Athena dismounted her obsidian steed – courtesy of Hephaestus – and stood before Ares’ throne humbly. She needed him to be as passive and suggestible as possible, even if it meant letting her guard down in his domain - even if it meant exposing the tender nape of her neck to him, in a vulnerable gesture – a bow.

‘I must say,’ Ares stood up and descended from his thrown; he stood before Athena, just inches away from her, his dark red hair blowing before his face, ‘I’m a little alarmed. You come here without your armour, unannounced, and say you want to ‘talk’ but, as I recall, the last time we tried to chat reasonably,’ he captured a stray lock of her hair between his fingers, ‘you slit my throat open.’

‘You made threatening advances, I was afraid.’ Athena backed away slightly. Her steed, feeling the tension, shook its reins impatiently. Ares snorted, amusedly.

‘Hardly, you have your father’s temper. Tell me,’ his voice lowered deviously, ‘did you enjoy it? Seeing my blood run?’ he grinned, awaiting Athena’s response. She glanced away momentarily.

Yes, Athena was inclined to blood-shedding, but only when it came to slaying beasts – even beasts like Ares. Human blood, so precious though plentiful, was such a waste to spill, and thus she protected humans, even from each other. But the gods, so powerful and careless, were such tempting targets – especially Ares.

She remembered the last time she stood in Ares’ domain. What was meant to be a brief meeting turned into a heated discussion and soon Athena’s sword was drawn. She sliced his neck open, the blood seeming to drain right through face and down his neck. They both stood for a moment. And yes, Athena did enjoy seeing Ares’ blood run. From his throat, down his chest and onto the gleaming gold buttons of his military jacket. She enjoyed every second. There was something tasteful about seeing Ares covered in his own hot, crimson blood.

‘You did, didn’t you?’ he tickled the under of her chin – or more, ran his nails along it. Athena grunted and pushed him back firmly with one hand.

‘I am not a sadist.’ She said, and Ares’ laughed, turning back to his thrown.

‘No you are just a saviour, a pure virgin goddess who cannot bear to see her humans’ blood spilt.’ He turned to her before sitting down, ‘You should see their battle fields Athena, rivers of blood so deep and long you could bathe your soft skin –’

‘On that note,’ Athena interrupted, shuddering at the thought of the humans slaughtered at war, ‘that’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. Or the main thing really. The other Olympians have been issuing some complaints about your involvement in the humans’ wars.’

‘When haven’t there been complaints?’

‘Well I think it’s time the complaints, along with what is causing them end.’ Ares, who had been looking out into the distance leisurely, now looked at Athena. His stare was frosty.  Athena continued.

‘Zeus is now adamant that it stops, Ares. Yes it’s fine if you want to support the humans, if you want to bless them and give them strengths and powers beyond themselves, but fighting alongside them is wrong. It’s an unfair advantage – ’

‘Unfair advantage for whom?’ Ares suddenly perked up with annoyance. Athena’s steed thumped its hoof twice. A sign foreboding. Ares glared hard at her.

‘When have you ever seen me fighting for one side more than the other?’

‘When one side prays to you more than the other,’ Athena argued, ‘and you know the opposing side would never stand a chance against an entire army and a god.’

‘Even if I do pick sides, no one is better off. Maybe the side I pick has fewer deaths, but still has death no doubt!’

‘Which is exactly the point!’ Athena felt her blood hot in her cheeks and Ares rose from his throne, ‘You don’t care about them, you only care about the carnage and the slaughter. Your bloodlust is insatiable, so how many more humans do we need to lose before you are ‘partially’ content?’ the tone of finality in Athena’s voice could be heard throughout Ares’ domain, which only angered him further. He marched down the stairs, his blood boiling. Anthea backed.

‘Zeus. Always sending others to do his dirty work, even his precious daughter, my beloved sister. Well you tell him,’ Ares’ yelled out, fire starting to lick at his boots, ‘as if he isn’t listening right now, that if he wants to get a message across,’ the fire crawled up his legs, ‘he can come speak to me face to face!’

‘Ares,’ Athena pushed a palm against his breast, ‘calm down.’

The gesture – bizarrely – was so reassuring. Firm, but reassuring. Ares wasn’t sure he had ever seen a response from Athena like this before. The heat that was slowly starting to consume his mind and his body, that searing, merciless heat, subsided into nothing.

But a new heat formed, starting right at the place where Athena touched him, bubbling and brewing inside him, a consuming, delicate heat. It worked its way down his body and threatened to leave him when Athena removed her hand.

‘I won’t stop you from doing what you want to do. But I will tell you that what you are doing is pointless and foolish.’ Athena folded her arms over her chest, and Ares, leaning forward slightly, straightened.

‘I must be a fool to enjoy it.’ He said and Athena merely looked at him. She shook her head.

‘Just think about my visit, and what I’ve said to you.’

‘I will. Always.’ Ares couldn’t help but bow at her. She had tamed the beast within him whether she knew it or not, and she’d done it without inflicting major wounds on him. Athena nodded and turned back to her steed, patting the horses neck.

‘Where are you off to now?’

‘Aphrodite, there are a few things I need to pick up from her.’

‘Excellent. Pass along a little gift for me won’t you.’ He said, and Athena turned to him.

He put his hand to Athena’s throat, and brought his lips gently to hers. Athena stood stunned as Ares kept her close, his fingers enclosed around her neck. That heat in Ares – the new one – started to bubble up again. Slipping right beneath his skin, it spilled through the rest of his body, thicker, faster and hotter than before. Still delicate. Still delicious. His thumb, worked its way up and down her throat gently. He felt a boyish swallow cascade down her throat before releasing her. Athena backed slightly. She turned back to her horse and mounted. Ares watched.

‘I was going to tell you,’ she said, launching back into her lost sentence, ‘that I don’t pass along gifts.’ Unknown to Athena, the heat in Ares brewed strong, refusing to subside – her presence so near.

‘Keep it.’  He said, shrugging.

Ares turned and strode off to his throne.

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
